Unknown Disease Killing Dogs in Norway

In Norway, an outbreak of serious illness has occurred in dogs in recent weeks. Dogs have been presented with severe bloody diarrhoea and vomiting, and their general condition has been deteriorating rapidly. About 20 dogs have already died. First cases were reported around Oslo, but there were reports about the illness with similar symptoms in other parts of the country.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority, together with the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, the Small Animal Clinic at NMBU and the animal clinics is trying to find the cause of the illness. The first autopsies have not provided definitive answers and the cause of illness remains unknown, but all dogs had clear signs of severe bowel disease. In autopsies, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute has detected two bacteria in abnormally large quantities, but it is not clear whether that was the cause of the outbreak. Currently, it is also unclear if the cases are related and if the disease is an infectious outbreak, or just a series of individual cases.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority recommends restricting close contact between dogs and keeping them controlled on leash. It is wise to avoid areas with lots of dogs. Dogs showing signs of disease should be brought to veterinarian as soon as possible and pet owners should contact the clinic before the arrival in order to minimise the spreading of infection.
So far, the disease with similar symptoms has not been observed in other animal species and it doesn’t seem like it can infect humans.